UPS, or, Useless Package Shufflers

The BBQ Pit
21

I work from home and I get packages for myself and the business pretty regularly.

UPS in my area is quite good. I haven’t had too many problems with any of the services lately, but UPS delivers here more than the others. They are on time, courteous and bring the package to my door. FedEx usually brings it to the door, but sometimes will just leave it in the driveway. Did DHL go out of business? I haven’t had a package from them in a long time, but they always just dropped the package in the driveway. USPS will bring it to the door if and only if they can’t cram it in the box. They have never ruined anything, so I don’t complain, but sometimes getting a package out of my box has been a chore.

22

I’ve had a similar occurrence with Big Brown. I got a little notice from the online package tracker that my package had arrived at the local parcel pickup center, and would likely go out for delivery tomorrow. I went down there since it was on my way home from work, figuring I could jump the gun a bit.

The manager there tells me, and I quote: “We don’t actually have it yet. Sometime the computer does virtual status updates without us actually having to scan the package in.” Well, I politely thanked him for informing me how worthless UPS’s tracking system actually was, then, and informed him that I’d be going with FedEx from then on in all likelihood. This is at around 5:30PM.

Around 9PM that night, I hear what sounds like a truck in my driveway and some thumping noises. I look out my window to see a UPS truck essentially peeling out down my street, with my nice expensive computer parts in a box on my porch, no doorbell or anything.

Jerks. =P

23

I had an interesting insight about that a couple years ago with Royal Mail.

I was at home waiting for something else; saw the van stop in front of the house; heard the postman come up the steps and into the lobby (the cleaner let him in). Went out a while later and one of the things on the mail table was a “we tried to deliver” note. I called the local distribution center to ask when could I come pick up my package, “it’s here, so any time within our usual working hours”. I was able to go get it once I’d solved the other issue and asked the lady at the office how come I’d gotten that note when the postman hadn’t tried to find me and hadn’t even had the package in the van. She explained “well, some of our delivery guys are… not the smartest guys in the world. Getting them to leave the notes in the right place works, but they get very confused if they have to do more than that.” Having seen some of those delivery guys, I can see her point. I don’t know about your local mailman, but at least one of the guys who worked my route in Glasgow had Downs’ syndrome (I know a lawyer who has it too, but she’s extremely exceptional) and another one looked like he might have some sort of neural damage.

On the other hand, my mother’s route in Spain is serviced by three mailpeople. One of the guys doesn’t bother grab packages, one guy grabs small ones and rings the bell at the lobby to decide whether you’re home (those are broken more time than they work), the one woman brings small packages and delivers to the actual apartment.

24

When I was in grad school, UPS delivered a $5000 workstation to a random office because the office number had apparently been cut-off when the label was printed and the driver couldn’t be bothered to find out the correct address apparently. By the time we realized that the package had not arrived as expected and decyphered the chicken scratch signature to determine the point of delivery, the workstation had apparently walked off. The police got involved and I don’t know what the outcome was from their end, but the vendor did ship us a new one.

25

If UPS couldn’t deliver without a signature, that’s the shipper’s fault. There’s a nice little box they can check when they create the shipment that will give UPS permission to deliver without getting a signature. If the shipper didn’t do the release, you can’t blame UPS for not being psychic and knowing that it’s really okay to just leave the package.

ETA: And why the hell do you expect a change of address to be free? That’s extra work for the company doing the shipping.

Why didn’t you demand your package *and *insist on a call to the supervisor? You can bet your ass the idiot is doing this to more people than just you.

26

I don’t know why they don’t even have the package, but my last FedEx delivery had her “ring the bell twice and knock” before slapping the note on the door and running for it. Fortunately, I caught her as she was leaving because I’d heard her slam her truck door.

I might miss knocking since I was in my office in the back. I’d probably hear the doorbell. But you know what? My two dogs, who generally lounge around the living room (and were at that moment) damned sure don’t sit there silently when there’s a truck in the driveway, much less when someone is knocking or ringing the bell.

Why bother driving to the place if you’re not even going to actually ring the bell?

-Joe

27

I once had a package delivered from Boston all the way to far off Boston. You’d figure that wouldn’t be a hard distance for them to ship, but you’d be wrong.

I got the usual crap that everyone else has been posting, but there was an additional layer of absurdity. My package ended up in two places at once. Yes, UPS found a way to break the laws of physics.

When I called to complain (every day), they said that my package had been delivered and signed for and was sitting comfortably in Foxboro Stadium. I should explain at this point that I didn’t live in Foxboro, didn’t work in Foxboro, and that Foxboro is sufficiently south of Boston that without a car it would be impossible for me to get there. And I didn’t have a car.

When I explained that to the moron at UPS, she said no problem, I could just go to their distribution center – far enough NORTH of Boston to be out of my travelling distance – and pick up my package there.

Those of you who are more astute may see a couple of problems with this. For one, it’s not like I had a car that could only go north. For another, how do I know that my package is going to be there when I get there? They weren’t exactly filling me with confidence that a delivery company could actually deliver something.

This went on for two weeks.

It was finally resolved because the guy whose office it was delivered to just so happened to live on my street.

28

I should have done that, yes. However, I was expecting more packages later on in the week, and I wanted to get them without hassle. So I put my desires above the interests of other people at that time.

29

It wasn’t horrible, but I do have a UPS story. A few months ago I ordered a new 42" TV from Amazon, and was quite surprised to see they had shipped it via UPS. It was definitely an oversized package and just barely made it under their 70-pound limit.

Tracking showed that it was due to arrive on a Thursday, when both my wife and I would be at work. It said on-line that an in-person signature was required, but UPS often leaves large boxes at the door and I’ve never had a problem with it. I thought maybe they’d just leave it, but no such luck. We got a sticky note that said they’d make another attempt the next day. No problem, though, because my wife was working at home that day and would be able to sign for it.

She was home all day, but called me at about 2:00 to say she had stepped outside and found another sticky on the door. The driver had written his cell phone number on it, so I called.

“Hi, this is Mr, Wheelz,” I said.
“Oh, yeah, you’ve got that big TV. I’ve been trying to get that thing out of my truck for a week!” (News flash: a week is now two days long.)
“Well, my wife has been home all day. Did you even ring the doorbell?”
“Yeah, I rang like five times and pounded on the door.” (Another news flash: my wife has gone deaf!)
“Okay,” I said, refraining from calling him a liar since that probably wouldn’t have helped my cause. “Any way you can get back with it today?”
To this he replied, “Well, nothing’s free, you know.”
After a stony silence I said, “You do want it out of your truck, right?”
He paused and then said, “I can be there in about an hour.”

So I called my wife back to tell her he was coming, and that he was fishing for a tip, but she didn’t have to give him anything if he was rude or acted put-out.

I got home from work to find a large box in my living room. My wife said the driver was polite enough, but when she asked if he could help her carry it inside, he said he was only allowed to go as far as the door. When she slipped him a 10, though, he forgot this rule and brought it inside.

All’s well that ends well, I guess, but I thought the guy was a bit of a prick. Other than that, I’ve never had any real problems with either UPS or USPS.

30

You think that if this guy just got reamed out for ding-dong-ditch, he’s actually going to be stupid enough to “lose” the packages of the person he thinks called his supervisor, or play the same game again? :dubious:

31

Once I watched as the regular mail man pulled into my driveway and - I’m guessing - decided it was raining too hard to deliver my box. So he backed out of the driveway and left a note saying that he had tried to deliver the package, it required a signature and no one was home. I didn’t really mind too much, because the rail-trail where I run is right by the post office - but I was still amused to catch him fibbing.

32

I haven’t had UPS problems in years. Well, I do get annoyed when they leave the package out on the open steps of the front landing versus putting it in the breezeway. But no big whoop.

FedEx, OTOH, all I can say is oy vey. I have come home a few times to their attempted delivery notes on the side of my house. I have a front door w/ mailbox alongside. I have the side door that opens into the breezeway. They will leave the post it on the side of the house, near the breezeway, but not on the same wall. Once it was next to my kitchen window. Once it was just above the outside water spigot.

33

Hurry! If you don’t do something soon, they’ll be charging $15.00!

34

In one of my previous jobs, I had the responsibility for tracking and filing claims on UPS shipments to our customers that had been reported lost or damaged by the recipients.

A few years ago, I voted against a candidate for public office on the sole grounds that the candidate had formerly worked as a UPS claims adjuster. I was not going to help put a known swindler into the county comptroller’s office, damn it!

(A relevant quote from one of the company’s shipping managers, after I reported to her that another ‘package received open and empty’ claim had been denied due to ‘inadequate packaging’: “Yes, our packaging doesn’t hold up well to razor blades.” :mad:)

35

Yep, that was my impression of him. Plus, I didn’t want anything damaged, either.

36

Plus, you rat on him and you’re assuming that his supervisor is any better than he is. If he’s not, well, all your shit can vanish and what are you going to do?

-Joe

37

I always prefer the U.S. Postal Service over U.P.S.

38

Wonder if there have been problems with theft or missing packages in the area? Money talks, if they’ve been having to pay claims that might be the problem.

UPS generally leaves packages without signature around here, UNLESS a stupid seller requires signature.

A somewhat related USPS story, my GF ordered some scarves and they came by USPS with in-person signature required. We were never at home during the day so we actually had to go into the post office on a Saturday to get a damn box of scarves.

39

Damage Hurl and Lose stopped doing parcel delivery in the USA a couple of years go.

40

The signature isn’t the issue. I would have been happy to sign for the package on the slip provided for that purpose, but UPS will not leave a package at my door. They will only deliver in person.

No, it’s less work than schlepping up to my apartment two extra times and then returning the package to the sender, which is what would have happened if the package had not been redirected. And it has always been free in the past. I mentioned this to the UPS carrier at my office when the package arrived and he was shocked to learn that there was now a charge for change of delivery.

I did ask the shipper why this package was sent by UPS rather than the usual priority mail. It turns out that if the order totals over a certain amount, they use UPS. And yes, I can request that they not do so. Armed with this knowledge, I can avoid this situation in the future, at least with this dealer.